Imagination
by Misura
Summary: Eclipse thinks Dark Arrow is a fine name. Raenef IV disagrees. [premanga RaenefEclipse]


Imagination

x

Warnings/notes: pre-manga, Raenef IV/Eclipse, drabble-ish shortie.

Disclaimer: I don't own Demon Diary.

written at 16th march 2005, by Misura, in reply to a meme-challenge made in my livejournal by ingeniusinc which offered the pairing Ranef IV/Eclipse and the line: "Clothes weren't supposed to look like that. They were supposed to cover bits, not help expose them."

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"You want to call it /what/?"

It's not often that Eclipse gets to surprise Raenef. He supposes he should feel either pleased with himself, or ashamed; he's not sure which of the two's appropriate yet, even if it's rather likely that Raenef's thought of some wonderfully long and complicated name to give to the spell that he, Eclipse, has invented, and now is going to explain to him why, really, you can't simply call a spell that creates an arrow of dark energy 'dark arrow'.

Eclipse thinks it's a perfectly appropriate name though, and it's /his/ spell. Besides, how can these foolish mortals be expected to remember anything with more than three syllables? They still haven't gotten the name of Raenef's tent right one single time, instead referring to it as 'the Demon Lord's tent', which is actually an apt and accurate thing to call it, except that Raenef doesn't approve of it.

"With all due respect, I feel it's a proper name." Eclipse adds a stiff bow, just to emphasize that he's not doubting Raenef's authority; he's only pointing out that he's thoroughly pondered the naming of his spell - and if he's only done so for five seconds, well, then that's nobody's business but his own, is it?

"It's so ... unimaginative. Simple." Raenef slumps in his seat a little, not like a mortal who's weary of life, but as a Demon Lord, who keeps his temper in check only out of respect for his companion. "There's no grace to it, no depth. It's like calling a stick a stick."

Eclipse doesn't point out that if people would stop calling a stick a stick, things might get confusing very quickly and easily, although he does think it.

"It's the name that fits best." _In my opinion._ Eclipse swallows that last part. Raenef will hear it anyway, so why bother? This entire conversation is somewhat useless, since the fact remains that Eclipse has created the spell, at Raenef's request, and therefore Eclipse will name the spell. Raenef can make suggestions, but Eclipse isn't required to heed them - and in this case, he doesn't intend to.

Raenef sighs, slumping a bit deeper. "Oh, very well. I suppose it /is/ your right to call it that."

Eclipse bows, conveying his thanks to Raenef for not turning this into an all-night argument. He can do without sleep, of course -he's a Demon Lord, after all- but there are many things he enjoys more than arguing for over ten hours with Raenef about naming a spell.

"It's a fine piece of magic," Raenef declares graciously and, it seems to Eclipse, a bit suddenly. He hopes that Raenef's next statement isn't going to be along the lines of how such a 'fine piece of magic' deserves a much better name than 'Dark Arrow'. "You have done well."

"You flatter me." _You could have done the same, I'm sure, if you hadn't preferred to spend your time on spells not meant for mortal use. _Eclipse doesn't quite dare to smile, not before he's absolutely certain that Raenef doesn't have any tricks left up his sleeves.

"Hardly." Raenef straightens, lazily stretching, while murmuring a spell that gets rid of his armor and weapons, leaving him dressed in his usual - Eclipse coughs, not sure if something's gone wrong with the spell, and Raenef requires his help, or if Raenef has simply decided that Eclipse is close enough to family that he doesn't need to bother with his formal attire.

"Is something wrong?" Raenef's voice sounds slightly amused, telling Eclipse that he can stop studying the roof of Raenef's tent now, because Raenef doesn't mind being seen in the clothes he's currently wearing, at least not by Eclipse.

Eclipse turns, and decides that the term 'clothing' doesn't really apply. Clothes aren't supposed to look like that. They're supposed to cover bits, not help expose them. The word 'skimpy' comes to Eclipse's mind, but he discards it as applying to those mortal females Krayon tends to chase around, before they either give in to him and stop being interesting, or become a little less stupid and start to wear more clothing and amulets.

"You - " Eclipse starts, before deciding that there's no good way to finish that sentence.

"I? I am wrong in assuming your tent is as empty as mine?" Raenef asks, his voice sweet enough to tempt even a Demon Lord like Eclipse. If he'd talk to their enemies like that, Eclipse thinks dizzily, this war would be over very soon -and very bloodlessly, which wouldn't be fitting at all, not to mention being rather boring. "I am wrong in thinking that Meruhesae has failed in her attempts to get you to accept her invitation to stay the night with her?"

"And what makes you think that you can succeed where she has failed, my lord Raenef?" Eclipse tries to make his tone cutting, the way he'd speak to one of those mortal fools who believe their gods will protect them against his wrath.

Raenef shrugs. The spell he uses to put some (but, Eclipse notes, not all) of his normal attire back on is spoken too softly for Eclipse to overhear, but the results are visible easily enough.

"I did not assume I would meet with success. Or, for that matter, with failure. I simply wanted to inform you that it would please me for us to be more than friends."

Eclipse hesitates at the exit. Only an idiot would believe a statement like Raenef's, and in spite of his possible lack of imagination in naming spells, Eclipse isn't an idiot.

"The thought that you might make one last attempt to change my mind about the Dark Arrow never occured to you, I suppose?" Eclipse snorts at the expression of utter innocence on Raenef's face. It's not an expression that fits Demon Lords particularly well, especially not a Demon Lord who still wears rather less than what could pass for 'formal attire on a hot day'.

"Is that what you're afraid of?" Raenef's laugh is meant to manipulate him into staying.

Eclipse sighs, preferring to take off his own armor by hand, rather than by magic. At least Raenef has the decency not to smirk or gloat as he does so.

"I will not change my mind," Eclipse states one last time, just to make this clear.

Raenef grins. "That rather sounds like a challenge."

OWARI


End file.
